This post-race press conference of the Catalan Grand Prix brought together Jorge Lorenzo, Marc Marquez and Valentino Rossi.
As usual, we report here our translation of the entirety of the words of Valentino Rossi, without journalistic formatting or distortion.
Valentino, you must be happy today with your 3rd consecutive podium, especially on a circuit where you struggled last year...
Valentino Rossi : " Yes I agree. I'm happy with this podium because we struggled a lot on this circuit last year. One of the worst races of the season. After testing I knew that the 2 Ducati and Márquez were faster than me, and I thought more that I was going to fight with the 2nd group, like in Mugello, because the pace more or less corresponded to that. But we improved the balance of the bike this morning during the warm up and I was able to take the corners better. I was also very worried about the soft front tire, but actually during the race you had to manage at the start but then the tire worked well and provided good grip. I'm also happy because my pace was good until the end and I wasn't very far from Jorge and Marc. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough to try to stay with them and fight, but it's still positive. And these are also important points for the championship.”
Are there any new parts you will have between now and Assen where you won last year?
“Yes, it’s been a long time now since my last victory, which is also Yamaha’s last victory. Assen is a beautiful place, but from one year to the next everything is different. You never know until Friday. We have the test tomorrow and we have different things to try. Nothing extraordinary but we are optimistic and we will try to take another small step forward.”
There were a lot of crashes this Sunday during the MotoGP race. What is this due to?
“For me, perhaps it was due to the Michelin allocation of the front tires which was not the best. For many riders, the soft front tire was a little too soft, especially with a full tank. But in reality, you didn't really have another option because with the other options you lost too much grip, according to many drivers, and you had to drive too slowly. So when you had to race the soft, you had to be calm and be good at trying to manage the front. So maybe that’s why we had a lot of crashes.”
You have had two difficult years at Ducati. Do you think today you could win with the current Ducati?
“I don’t know (laughs). This is a difficult question and I don't think anyone knows. And we'll never know (laughs). The question will remain open (laughs).”
During the first part of the race, you were the fastest since you moved up several places. Then you lost time in the middle and at the end of the race. Where have you lost the most and how can you improve this?
“I didn't analyze the pace in depth, but unfortunately I wasn't fast, not faster than them, even at the start of the race. I was good at the start, because after the Warm up, I knew I had to try to jump from the 2nd row because I knew that Lorenzo, Dovi and Márquez were the guys for the podium. It was a very good start, a very good first lap, and I also overtook Iannone, but from there I had a handicap of 2 tenths compared to them. Sometimes 3, sometimes 2, but it was the same throughout the race. During the 2nd part of the race, I was fine and I could see Marc more or less always at the same distance. We need more speed. I'm happy because it's 3 successive podiums, but I finished in 3rd place at best this season. So right now we are not stronger than to fight for the podium. We have to try to improve different areas to get those 2 tenths back.”
You won at Assen last year. Do you think this will be your best chance to win this year?
“It's bad news for me, and also for Yamaha, that it's already been a year without winning. I love Assen, like Barcelona, Mugello or Phillip Island. We don't have to wait for a particular track to try to win because in Assen we have something magical. I like the track, generally I ride well there and the Yamahas work well. But for sure, this year it will be very difficult as always, but I hope to have other chances to fight for victory by the end of the season.”
What are you missing on your motorcycle? What area do you need to improve?
“It’s not just one thing. I'm sure we need to work on acceleration, because when I follow the Ducati and the Honda it appears that the engine, but also the electronic system, works very well to deliver the power without slipping when accelerating. For me this is the most important area. But it's not just that because Yamaha is still working on the weight distribution, on the chassis, because they are focusing a lot on that. So I think it’s both.”
For two races, with Jorge, you seem to be like old friends. Is it because you are no longer teammates?
“(Laughs) We had difficult times but also good times. It was a bit of a roller coaster (laughs). Including one or two rather large ones (laughs). But it's like that. It's hard when you're fighting for the same results. And also, Jorge was one of my strongest and toughest opponents in my entire career. We stayed together in the same team for a long time, which also makes things more difficult. But I think it’s normal, and the important thing is for sure to respect yourself.”
Catalan Grand Prix Barcelona MotoGP Race: Standings
| 1 | 99 | Jorge Lorenzo | Ducati | 40'13.566 |
| 2 | 93 | Marc Márquez | Honda | +4.479 |
| 3 | 46 | Valentino ROSSI | Yamaha | +6.098 |
| 4 | 35 | Cal Crutchlow | Honda | +9.805 |
| 5 | 26 | Dani PEDROSA | Honda | +10.640 |
| 6 | 25 | Maverick VIÑALES | Yamaha | +10.798 |
| 7 | 5 | johann zarco | Yamaha | +13.432 |
| 8 | 9 | Danilo PETRUCCI | Ducati | +15.055 |
| 9 | 19 | Alvaro BAUTISTA | Ducati | +22.057 |
| 10 | 29 | Andrea Iannone | Suzuki | +24.141 |
| 11 | 44 | Pol Espargaró | KTM | +36.560 |
| 12 | 45 | Scott REDDING | Aprilia | +38.229 |
| 13 | 17 | Karel ABRAHAM | Ducati | + 1'21.526 |
| 14 | 21 | Frank MORBIDELLI | Honda | 3 Tours |
| Unclassified | ||||
| 55 | Hafiz Syahrin | Yamaha | 4 Tours | |
| 53 | Tito RABAT | Ducati | 6 Tours | |
| 43 | Jack Miller | Ducati | 7 Tours | |
| 38 | Bradley SMITH | KTM | 11 Tours | |
| 30 | Takaaki NAKAGAMI | Honda | 11 Tours | |
| 42 | Alex Rins | Suzuki | 13 Tours | |
| 4 | Andrea Dovizioso | Ducati | 16 Tours | |
| 10 | Xavier SIMEON | Ducati | 17 Tours | |
| 41 | Aleix Espargaro | Aprilia | 20 Tours | |
| 12 | Thomas LUTHI | Honda | 21 Tours | |
| 50 | Sylvain GUINTOLI | Suzuki | 22 Tours | |
| Did not finish the first round | ||||
| 36 | Mika Kallio | KTM | 0 Tour |
Photo credit: MotoGP.com
